


(i'm so) into you.

by edieble



Category: GOT7, K-pop
Genre: First Dates, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Online Dating, Texting, this is a hot mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 13:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17060462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edieble/pseuds/edieble
Summary: mark takes a risk for the first time, and it might have been the best decision of his life.





	(i'm so) into you.

**Author's Note:**

> this is a hot mess,, i wrote this in one night so it might be really scrambled and rushed and shit but i hope u enjoy it nonetheless asdfghjkl

Mark blinked his eyes open, noticing the way he could hear the inhale and exhale of his gentle breathing. It was quiet. Too quiet.

It had been quiet for a few months since BamBam moved out to live with his boyfriend, Yugyeom, and it became even quiter when Jaebum finally moved out to live with Jinyoung. It seemed like it was only Mark that was left alone in the silence. He sighed and kicked off his duvet, dragging himself to the kitchen.

The house looked empty without Jaebum's things. There was no cats winding around Mark's ankles, none of their toys laying on the floor to be accidentally stood on and cause both boys to howl out in pain. But most of all, there was nothing to eat. Mark sighed again, closing the fridge after grabbing some milk and pouring himself a sad looking bowl of cereal. He put grocery shopping on his to do list (which only existed in his head), thinking about what to do on his day off when his phone made a delighted sound from the counter. The American looked over to read the notification:

_**GayDay:**  Jackson sent you a message!_

Mark groaned, rolling his eyes as he remembered that Jinyoung had set up an online dating account for him (against his will, may he add) and kept repeating _'You need to get out there, hyung. Someone would be lucky to have you'_. Mark had just scoffed and continued playing his video game.

The brunette ignored the notification and opted instead to finish his cereal in peace and have a nice, relaxing shower.

But he couldn't get the notification out of his mind.

His stomach flipped as he thought of what it might say. What if this guy was legitimate? What if he was attractive and he missed out on good sex just because he was being stubborn? Also, Jackson? That didn't sound like a Korean name. What if he spoke English? What if he was _The One_?

Mark shook his head furiously. _This is stupid_. Why would he find a boyfriend now after so many months of looking? And why would it be on a dating site that Jinyoung set up for him? Ridiculous. There's no way.

But what if?

This cycle went through the boy's head over and over again, distracting Mark from getting things done. He kept looking at the boys he passed on the street and in the store, thinking ' _could that be him?_ '. It was silly, but his fingers itched to tap on the app and read the message.

It was late at night when Mark finally gave in. 1:29am, to be exact. His hands shook with excitment (or was it nervousness? He couldn't tell) as he let himself be sucked into the colourful chat room, and was pleasantly surprised at the lack of Korean characters, instead being greeted by English ones.

_**Jackson:** Mark? Hmm. That doesn't sound very Korean to me. Where are you from? (PS. Hi! :))_

Mark grinned. So he had thought the same thing about him...what a coincidence. The American turned over in his bed, clicking on Jackson's profile and looking through his information. (No, he was not stalking him. Just...doing a background check. Yeah, that was it.)

**Bio:**

_Jackson_  
_24_  
_Seoul_

_Hi! I'm Jackson. I'm a fencer from China, training in Korea that's looking for someone to share my positive vibes with. I spend a lot of time in the gym but I promise I'm not a dick- I'm a teddy bear in person! Come and drop me a message. :D_

Mark rolled his eyes. He sounded like a complete and utter fuck boy. Big sigh. Next up: profile picture. To be honest, Mark wasn't expecting much. Just some pretty face with muscles and a charming smile.

And he was right.

But fuck, he was hot.

The strong jawline juxtaposed with the soft rounded nose, the luscious dark hair and the sultry eyes to match; Mark's jaw hung open. Why would someone like Jackson- dark, sexy and muscly- go for someone like Mark- boring, pretty and skinny? It just didn't add up. Yet he was intrigued to find out, and it was too late for thinking things through when Mark pressed send on the message he wrote.

_**Mark:** It's funny you say that, I thought the same thing when I saw your name. I'm from America, California. And I see you're from China, but have learnt my mother tongue. A pleasant sight to see_

What was a shocking sight to see was that the '...' that indicated that Jackson was typing back popped up almost immediately. Mark chewed on his lip as he waited for the reply.

_**Jackson:** Already had a look through my profile, I see? How forward of you_  
_**Jackson:** Nah I'm just joking with you ;) I've known English since I was young. I'm glad it pleased you though_

Mark ignored the way his cheeks dusted a rosy pink.

_**Mark:** It was just a surprise, is all. It gets tiring having to translate everything in my head every day. I'm exhausted_

_**Jackson:** Maybe you should get some sleep. I have some room in my bed if you wanted to nap together_

_**Mark:** Wow, how smooth. So you do this a lot, huh?_

_**Jackson:** Hahaha, no. This is my first time. I'm actually never like this, but my friend signed me up for this website and I just assumed a charming and confident approach was the best idea. It seems I was wrong..._

_**Mark:** Lucky for you, for some reason I believe you. In fact, my friend signed me up on this site too. Seems like we have a fair bit in commmon_

_**Jackson:** That we do_  
_**Jackson:** Shouldn't you be asleep, Mark Tuan from California (who is very handsome, by the way)? It's quite late_

_**Mark:** I'm a nightowl. This is normal for me_  
_**Mark:** But how about you, Jackson Wang from China (who is also very handsome, I must admit)? No big plans for tomorrow that you have to rest up for?_

_**Jackson:** Nope. It's my day off, I was just planning to order pizza and binge watch a bunch of anime (and thank you. I'm honestly flattered)_

Mark giggled, but immediately clamped a hand over his mouth. He was _not_ falling for this guy. No way.

_**Mark:** Sounds like a good day off to me. Unfortunately I had mine today, however. It's back to reality for me tomorrow_

_**Jackson:** That sucks, I was hoping we could talk more :( What do you do?_

_**Mark:** I work in a bar. Nothing fancy, my friend hooked me up with it just to keep me afloat. How about you?_

_**Jackson:** I'm a fencing instructor. Nothing fancy either_  
_**Jackson:** What time do you finish? Maybe a certain two non-fancy guys could hang out_

_**Mark:** Another forward gesture. Why am I kind of liking it?_  
_**Mark:** I'm on a day time shift so I'll be done around 6. Maybe we can meet up for a few drinks in the evening_

Red lights and sirens were going off in Mark's head. What was he doing?! Inviting a stranger to his place of work to have 'a few drinks' was not something Mark does. This was bad. _Very **very**_ bad.

So why was his stomach bubbling in excitement?

_**Jackson:** That sounds great. Send me the address and I'll meet you there. Is 6:30pm good for you?_

_**Mark:** *You sent a location.*_  
_**Mark:** 6:30 is perfect_

_**Jackson:** Awesome! I'll see you then :D but for now, Mr Non-Fancy Handsome man from California needs to get some sleep, seeing as he's on a day time shift_

_**Mark:** Wow, you're a good listener. Noted_  
_**Mark:** But yes, you're correct. I'll text (and see you) tomorrow. Goodnight Jackson_

_**Jackson:** Goodnight Mark :) sleep well_

 

Mark did not sleep well.

He was tossing and turning all night, fighting between sleeping and overthinking the stupid idea of meeting up with a stranger from online. How could he be so stupid? This could only end badly. Before he knew it, the sun was rising and his alarm was blaring, reminding him that he did in fact have to be a normal human being today. Mark dreaded it.

His shift dragged- there were only so many glasses you could polish and so many times you could wipe the same tables. The American didn't think it could get worse- and that's when Jaebum walked in, hand in hand with Jinyoung.

"Mark!" the older of the two exclaimed, grinning as he wrapped an arm around Jinyoung's waist. "How's work been?"

"Riveting," he deadpanned, but smiled when his two man audience laughed. "I see you two have been having a wonderfully romantic day, and are about to shove it in my face." Jinyoung nodded, clapping his hands together.

"You are correct, Mark-hyung. Jaebum-hyung took me to this _amazing_ rooftop cafe with a beautiful view, and the food was delicious. And then we went to..." Mark stopped listening after that, nodding politely and offering a few smiles and ' _ahh_ ''s. Until the Korean was interrupted by a clearing of a throat. Mark froze as Jinyoung and Jaebum turned to the stranger with raised eyebrows. "Can we help you?"

"Uhh...", the man shifted nervously on his feet, shoving his hands in his jean pockets. He looked directly at Mark, and the brunette swore his stomach dropped out of his ass. This was not happening. "Mark, right?"

Fuck. This was happening.

"J-Jackson!" Mark shrieked, fumbling with the apron around his waist and flailing his arms as if it was going to magic the situation away. "Hi! Oh god, is it that time already? I'm so sorry, I lost track of time." The Korean couple stared at Jackson dumbfoundedly. "Oh, right! Jackson, this is Jaebum and Jinyoung. Jaebum, Jinyoung- this is Jackson." While they nodded to each other politely, Mark took the opportunity to dispose of the apron and slick back his hair in attempt to compose himself. "We, uh...met a little while back. At...the gym! Yeah, at the gym."

Jinyoung looked unconvinced. "You go to the gym?" Jaebum's eyes were narrowing in suspicion.

"Yeah, the gym! That's where we met. And we, uh, started talking, noticed we had a bit in common and starting hanging out recently. Isn't that right, Mark?" Jackson flashed his signature charming smile.

"Um, yeah. That's right." He couldn't believe this (beautiful) stranger was going along with his story.

The only sound for a few moments was that of glasses clinking and the soft beat coming from the overhead speakers. Mark wished the floor would open up and swallow him.

"I see. Well, Jinyoung and I were just leaving, weren't we babe? So we'll leave you to it. Bye! Nice to meet you, Jackson!" It all happened so quickly, Jaebum had dragged his boyfriend out of the bar before he could protest. Mark's eyes were wide and his mouth was dry.

"I...am so sorry. I just didn't want them to bother us and get all clingy and weird, not that they're weird, they're normal people and they would just be looking out for me and-"

"Hey, chill, it's fine. I understand." Jackson was...laughing? The world must be on Mark's side. "Let's start over, yeah? I'm Jackson." The man held out a hand and Mark shook it, blushing slightly.

"Mark. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. You didn't warn me you had such a lovely accent." Mark gulped. This guy knew just what to say.

"Well..." he coughed, scratching the back of his head to hide his reddening cheeks, "you didn't warn me you had such a lovely laugh." Jackson smirked, and Mark denied the way his knees felt weak.

"Now who's the smooth talker?"

"Hey, you started it." Jackson put his hands up in surrender, giggling and nodding. "So, uh...can I get you a drink?"

Jackson took Mark up on his offer. And the second one. And the time after that. And Mark accepted the drink that Jackson bought him next. And next. Until the bar was closing up and their throats were sore from the amount of words and laughter that had spilled from their mouths since 6:30. Mark didn't realise how fuzzy his vision had become over the course of the night, and regret started to creep up from his stomach to his head. He wasn't drunk, but he wasn't sober enough to drive himself home and neither was Jackson. Since Mark lived only a few minutes walk away, the younger man offered to walk him home and take a taxi back to his from there.

The air was crisp and brutal, making Mark curl into himself in attempt to stay warm. And of course, if the situation couldn't make Mark roll his eyes anymore at the cliche, Jackson noticed and wrapped his scarf around his neck, tucking it in and cooing at the endearing pout the older was wearing. The two men talked about nothing and everything as they strolled along, occasionally bumping each other's shoulders or stealing a few glances in each other's direction. Mark couldn't stop wanting to make Jackson smile- it was addictive. He looked so cheerful and carefree when his lips curled and his eyes narrowed, and the American was honoured to be causing the grin, even for a little while.

They reached Mark's apartment sooner than he liked (he admitted only to himself), and were all too quickly stood in the older's doorway, awkwardly waiting for the other to break the silence. Mark was glad Jackson did first.

"So, uh...I had fun tonight. Like...a lot of fun," he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck and smiling sheepishly. Mark's heart ached at the precious sight.

"Me too," the brunette replied quickly, not wanting Jackson to doubt their night. "Thank you for walking me home."

"My pleasure! It was nice to spend a little more time with you." _Oh my god_ , Mark though. _Could he get any sweeter?_ This was starting to affect his health.

"Y-you too," the older stumbled, chewing on his lip. There was more silence, more shuffling of feet and more staring.

"Well, I guess I should get home."

"I guess so."

"It was nice to meet you, Mark. Take care." Mark didn't want him to go, but couldn't think of the words to say as Jackson turned his back to him.

"Oh! Wait!" The Hong Kong native turned around with hopeful eyes, as if he was expecting the same thing. "Your scarf!" Mark exclaimed, untangling it from around his long neck and holding it out for the other male to take. Jackson smiled, but shook his head.

"Keep it. I'll get it back from you next time."

"N-next time...?" The younger chuckled at Mark's expression that made him look like a rabbit caught in headlights.

"Yeah, next time. If that's alright with you." The American could only nod in response. "I'm glad." Mark wanted to take a step forward and wrap his arms around this man's strong frame, bury his face in his neck and be spontaneous for once. But he knew he couldn't; not yet, anyway. Maybe next time. **_Next time_**. "Good night, Mark."

"Good night, Jackson."

Mark hated the sight of Jackson walking away, but he knew he would be back to fill his life with sound again soon.

**Author's Note:**

> guys ,, what the hell did i just write askglashks
> 
> i have no idea where this came from but i wrote it in one night and idk it just happened! it's definitely not my best work and it seems a bit simple and rushed, but i just wanted some cute markson first date moments
> 
> anyway, i hope you enjoyed and thank you so much for reading! <3


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